Units / PBH2008
PBH2008 · Health policy and politics
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 2School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
In this unit, you will examine the political foundations of health promotion and public health policies in Australia. They will be introduced to health policy, policy development processes and theories that underpin them. Interest groups and the challenges they pose to decision-making processes, will be discussed. The social and political impacts of health policy will be introduced, as will the jurisdictional responsibilities held by different levels of government for health policies. Preliminary concepts of power, authority and influence will be discussed. You will learn fundamentals of the critical skills for policy analysis in the context of case studies of effective advocacy that have influenced health policy development in Australia.
Areas of study: Health science Public health
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Caulfield | Second semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
Assessment
The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group presentation (20 minutes) | Presentation | 15% | — |
| 2 | Critical analysis (900 words) | Written | 15% | — |
| 3 | Case study (1,800 words) | Written | 30% | — |
| 4 | Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes) | Examination | 40% | Threshold |
Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Discuss health policy as a key dynamic element of the determinants of health, with effects on the health of populations and societies.
- Distinguish the major structures, systems and institutions that contribute to the health policy environment with emphasis on health promotion and public health policy.
- Examine how different processes can be engaged to inform public health policy.
- Discuss types of health policy within the context of Australia's federal system.
- Explain the role of government and their agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the community in the development and implementation of health policy.
- Distinguish between different types of stakeholder influence and involvement, and how these are used in policy development.
Workload
1 hour lecture, 2 hour tutorial, 3 hours of directed online student learning activities, plus 6 hours of self-directed study per week.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 36 hours |
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